TLM2281

I have orders in excess of 100 Kozzies and was feeling overwhelmed, UNTIL, I called Texas Custom Dies!! Called and spoke to them about my needs on Friday and yesterday I made the round trip 8 hour drive to pick up a press and die!! I've seen them mentioned many times on this forum but I could not help but post another thread about what a GREAT company they are!! and if you have a "shape" that you have to duplicate several times the time savings and accuracy is well worth the cost!! I was able to click out 35 Koozie blanks in 1 1/2 hours!! That's one every 2.57 minutes!! a time savings of about 30 minutes a blank!!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

Thanks again LeeTy! I'm going to pick some up today and give it a shot, I'll let ya know how it works out........

Thanks for the input LeeTy! If the color comes out to light can a second coat be applied without issues?

More or less for grins and giggles I listed the Houston Texans Koozie's that I have made on Craigs List. Good news, Bad news though!! The good news is that, if I choose to accept them, I have orders for 10 at $30.00 each!! The bad news is they all want them either Navy Blue or Red!! and I have zero, zip, nada experience with "Colors".... I don't even know the difference in stain VS dye.....I have read enough to know that for the most part Fiebings is the only way to go..... Can a complete beginner be successful at achieving these colors with a minimal amount of practice? I'm not trying to cut past the practice it's just that all of the buyers want them NOW!! and 2 more request while posting this!! What should I do?? I can easily handle making them BUT the color scares the bejesus out of me!! I would rather turn them away than sell them an inferior product. Thanks in advance for any input and if I missed the answer in my search please just point me to the thread Troy

Thanks for the input Tom! It sounds like I kinda reversed the order of things!! I paid to much attention to the right things at the wrong time....

Prior to stitching I did not check either way, although I knew there was a problem because when I made the holes for stitching there was additional material on the odd side.....Same number of holes and carefully spaced....I will just mark it up as a lesson learned and in the future try to be more proactive when I know that there is a problem! I will also bare in mind your words of wisdom!..."The most successful leather worker is the one that can hide the mistakes and we all make them." Thanks for taking the time to give me advice! Troy

Electrathon, Now that's thinking!! Packing tape!! Now why didn't I think of that!! Thanks! Tree Reaper, Believe it or not, I did check the square of each side individually. Before making the cuts, I checked the length, both edges, against a straight edge and they were true. The other seam lined up perfectly.....Physically looking at the koozie, it appears that I may have made the cut for that border a fraction deeper than the rest....Would that lead to the beveling being deeper, less supporting material, more stretch/deformation?? Thanks for the input and taking the time to graphically illustrate your point!! Troy

Thanks Tree Reaper, I did just that prior to stitching but I guess my inexperience limited my ability to think outside the box and find a solution.....Even with your explanation I fell to see how I could have trimmed it without affecting the other margins......

I'm still very new to leather craft and the answer may be obvious! But I'm going to ask it anyway.....I have read that one needs to glue the piece to be worked to poster/card board to prevent deformation of the leather when tooling it. Does this apply to projects that you wish not to line?? If so, how do you deal with glue residue? If not, what am I doing wrong?? Both of the "Projects" that I have attempted involve stitched seams, I'm about 80% happy with the stitching but the ends don't meet the way they should and it makes me just want to throw it in the trash!! Thanks in advance, Troy

Beautiful!!